Arts Education Suffering In San Jose Schools
Art programs, such as art appreciation, drama, theater and music, have been suffering across the nation for 30 years, as school officials concentrate on the fundamentals of mastering. With federal programs, such as No Child Left Behind, even more concentrate has been placed on fundamental learning abilities, which excludes the arts. This also indicates that any extra funding is funneled into these simple understanding programs in order to meet state and federal-set standards. Arts education is 1 of the standards that must be met by schools within the state of California, but the state does not impose penalties on schools that do not met these specific standards.
A statewide survey by SRI International concluded that of the 1,123 schools surveyed:
89 percent failed to meet state standards for arts education
Practically 1/three provided no art education coursework that met state standards
61 percent had no complete-time arts specialist, with classroom teachers without adequate instruction teaching arts education at the elementary level
Kindergarten by means of 12 enrollment in music classes declined by 37 percent over a 5-year period, ending final June and
Poor schools have the least access to arts education whereas better income schools (exactly where parents can afford private lessons) are more apt to have it.
Chris Funk is the San Jose schools principal of Lincoln High School, a stellar magnet arts school. He believes that the far more San Jose schools students are exposed to the arts the far better they will do in testing inside other coursework.
Research have verified that a powerful arts system can be linked to improvement in every little thing from math abilities to truancy. Arts education in elementary and secondary schools create skilled sculptors, actors, musicians, singers and so many other arts-associated careers. The arts also strengthen the socialization skills of students.
Bill Eriendson, assistant superintendent of the San Jose schools, stated that the level of funding for the arts is inadequate. Final year, the state budgeted $500 million for the arts and physical education even so, this quantity was a a single-time deal. The norm is $105 million, which is about $15 per student. According to Eriendson, the San Jose schools calls for about $800,000 to restore just their music programs at the elementary San Jose schools. This figure does no school not incorporate the buy of instruments.
San Jose schools are a great representation of the statewide findings. Besides attempting to meet state and federal standards in the basic coursework, the San Jose schools were hit with Proposition 13 that was passed in 1978, which imposed tax cuts for Californians and greatly lowered funding for arts education. The arts were very first cut in the secondary San Jose schools and then in the elementary San Jose schools. By the late 1980s, arts education was all but gone in the San Jose schools.
According to Funk, there presently is a waiting list of 225 San Jose schools students. He finds San Jose schools students bullying at school are drawn to the dance, theater, music and visual arts programs supplied by his school. Without the support of the Lincoln Foundation, which donated $75,000 for fun school assemblies this school year, this San Jose schools arts magnet would not exist.
